Production and Characterization of Anti-CCR5 siRNA-Loaded Polycaprolactone Nanoparticles for Topical Pre-exposure Prophylaxis.

Topical posttranscriptional silencing of host factors involved in HIV-1 sexual transmission, such as CCR5, presents the potential to prevent new cases of infection. However, issues concerning proper engineering of safe and effective delivery systems for anti-CCR5 siRNA may impair the ability to yield suitable silencing at the mucosal level. Here we describe the production protocol of anti-CCR5 siRNA-loaded polycaprolactone-based nanoparticles (≈100 nm). Furthermore, we present data regarding the physicochemical and in vitro biological characterization of obtained nanosystems, which support their potential as microbicide candidates for topical pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV-1 infection.